Social care and health inequalities

Give every child the best start in life

This briefing considers the refocusing of children’s services in England and Wales towards prevention and early identification of children in need of protection and support. The primary focus of the briefing is to highlight those factors which research suggests assist the early identification of need.

The topic of this briefing is the health and wellbeing of young carers. The research has found that young carers can experience substantial physical, emotional or social problems, and encounter difficulties in school and elsewhere. The research consistently reports positive feedback from young carers about young carers’ projects. In this setting many young carers consider their problems and experiences to be valued, understood and recognised.

Young carers most appreciate the provision of facilities which enable them to understand what is happening in their families and which allow them to manage those demands. They identify the provision of practical responses such as: support groups where young carers can pursue social opportunities amongst others who share and understand their circumstances, in addition to gaining access to a variety of services including information, advocacy and accurate, timely advice.

This guide gives recommendations for adult mental health, child and adolescent mental health and children services in all sectors, and SCIE’s work in five practice sites. It provides evaluated practice examples and a ramp of resources.

Organisations should develop a multi-agency communications strategy to tackle the stigma and fears that parents and children have about approaching and receiving services. This should be a priority to enable families to get the support they need as soon as possible and should focus on promoting good mental health and wellbeing for all family members.

Residential care for children should be a positive resource. Homes providing a strong nurturing culture give children the care they need at certain times in their lives. Residential care which meets the personal, social, health and educational needs of children are much more likely to be safe places for children. This knowledge review examines a particular aspect of keeping children safe and promoting their wellbeing by managing challenging and disruptive situations.

This briefing is concerned with the experiences of children and young people in the context of this type of inter-partner violence. In examining experiences and coping strategies, it considers how the voices of children and young people are heard in research and practice, advocacy on their behalf, and evidence-based practice relating to work with children and young people affected by domestic violence.

This knowledge review sets out to identify what is known about the social care needs of children with complex health care needs (CHCN) and their families, and about the services designed to meet those needs

This briefing focuses on how environmental housing conditions can affect the health and wellbeing of children. The concern is the immediate physical structure or environment rather than other elements of the accommodation, such as the neighbourhood or the appropriateness of the housing for disabled children. Therefore, although it is acknowledged that temporary accommodation and housing tenure also raise issues which can affect the health and wellbeing of children, the aim of this briefing is to consider only the impact of non-decent or substandard living conditions such as dampness and overcrowding, regardless of the status of the tenants.

This briefing covers research that helps to understand the experiences of black and minority ethnic families where one or both parents have severe or enduring mental health problems and where children are under the age of 18. It does not include older people (those aged 65 and over), dementia, detailed evaluations of services and interventions, or experiences of particular services.